In October 2024, British Airways cut catering in premium cabins on many of its long haul flights, claiming it was due to customer feedback (but of course!). Well, the airline is now fully rolling back these negative changes, which is good news for travelers.
How British Airways modified inflight meal service
To start, let’s cover the basics of the changes that British Airways rolled out in October 2024, for long haul flights, including in business class:
- British Airways introduced brunch on more long haul flights, in lieu of lunch; with these changes, on flights up until 11:30AM, the airline would primarily have breakfast options on the menu, with things like omelets and pancakes
- British Airways replaced dinner with supper on many flights departing after 9PM; so rather than getting a full meal, customers would instead get things like salads, sandwiches, and cheese plates
It’s pretty obvious that this was a cost cutting initiative. Obviously most breakfast dishes are cheaper than lunch dishes, and serving less food is cheaper than serving more food.
There are situations where airlines can cut costs without it necessarily being terrible for customers. The problem is, these changes made no sense. For example, on a flight scheduled to depart at 11AM, most passengers aren’t going to actually be eating before 12:30PM, or so. Do people really want pancakes and omelets at that hour? I don’t think so…
Similarly, on late night flights, there’s nothing wrong with offering the choice of a lighter option, but that shouldn’t come at the expense of passengers having access to a full meal. After all, keep in mind that with a 9PM departure, many people may not have time to have dinner before the flight.
British Airways backtracks on negative service changes
While British Airways claimed that the initial service changes were made due to customer feedback, the feedback for these changes ended up being anything but positive, from both passengers and flight attendants. As reported by PYOK, British Airways is now fully backtracking on these meal service changes.
In recent weeks, we’ve seen British Airways progressively eliminate the brunch concept, once again introducing lunch on flights departing earlier. Now as of February 2025, we’re seeing British Airways eliminate the supper concept, restoring a full meal service on late night flights, including short transatlantic flights from the East Coast.
Customers will no doubt be happy to see these changes. This is also a good reminder of how providing feedback to airlines can make a material difference in the service they offer. Obviously British Airways thought it could get away with these changes, but with the feedback the airline received, that didn’t turn out to be the case.
Bottom line
After just a few months, British Airways is fully backtracking on its meal service changes. In premium cabins on long haul flights, British Airways will no longer have an extended brunch window and supper service. While the airline tried to pass this off as being due to customer feedback, the reality was anything but…
Are you surprised to see British Airways backtracking on these changes?
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